Community Engagement & Public Consultation

Seminar & Masterclasses

A decade of dialogue Rhion Jones Programme Director The Consultation Institute

Agenda

10.00 A Decade of Dialogue Rhion Jones Looking @ the best Jon Bradley & Elizabeth Gammell More with More...Hugh Flouch

11.15 Coffee

11.30 Successful Engagement with Children & Young People David Jones

12.00 Expert Panel: Rhion (chair) Hugh, David, Jon & Davy

12.30 Lunch

13.15 Facilitated Masterclasses

- Stakeholder Management Rhion & Elizabeth Gammell
- Using Social Media for public engagement & consultation Jon Bradley
- Facilitation Skills for 2011 David Jones
- Applying Big Society ideas Davy Jones

16.00 Ends

Why are we here? Welcome to Watford Gap

Service users, public, community, citizens, stakeholder engagement, involvement, participation, consultation, empowerment.

Coalition promises more public engagement. Coalition promises more public engagement

- Coalition Agreement Commitments
- Comprehensive Spending Review
- Police Reform Bill
- NHS Reform
- Planning Reform
- Localism Bill

The Localism Bill

Culture or Sport?

Art or Sport? Individual perspectives differ

- Whose views?
- How to detect views & opinions?
- Can we use new technology?
- How to reap wider benefits?

Looking @ the best...

Jon Bradley Participate Elizabeth Gammell The Consultation Institute

Different kinds of engagement

- Attracting the public as paying customers
- Seeking their views about what they want ...& what they have experienced

Most public bodies now have a Duty to...

Inform Consult Involve So much depends upon what we learn early in life

- The Culture & Sport Evidence programme concludes childhood experience, education, age & socio-economic status are important predictors of arts attendance
- Relationships between arts attendance & well-being
- Most effective way to increase engagement is to increase public education & promotion

Promoting the North-West Film Archive

- Produced 30 minute film documentary about Hulme & Moss Side
- Intergenerational engagement – explaining to people what the university had collected in ways acceptable to local audiences
- Cultural sensitivity helped!

Behind the scenes at the Theatre Collection

- Accredited Museum & Research Centre opens its doors
- Twilight Talks & visits to widen awareness of what’s available...

We consult when there is something to influence...!

Sport & Recreation in Basingstoke: Oct-Nov 2010

- 240 individual questionnaires
- 46 Clubs surveyed
- 65 Delegates at Sports Sector Conference

Used to determine investment priorities Cowdenbeath Football Club Redevelopment of Central Park Stadium

- Planning decisions often involve potential conflicts
- Retail v Sport
- Football v Stock Car Racing

Consultation is now under way..

Major developments always attract controversy ...

Difficult decisions also in the Arts

- High Art v Popular culture
- Performance Art v Fine Art
- Elite entertainment v Mass participation

Glastonbury Battle Prom

Covent Garden

Graffiti art

Aspirational Consultation... asking people what they want

Focus groups, Documents, Questionnaires, Public meetings, Social media, Diary rooms, World Cafes, Samoan circles... Public Expenditure reductions

People always want to cut the services used by “other people”

- County Councils & London Boroughs making savings in Library Services
- Strong element of “Big Society” alternatives
- Use of new technology

More with More: Local digital communities, neighbourhoods & public services

Hugh Flouch Networked Neighbourhoods

the online neighbourhood networks study

the Networked Neighbourhoods group Study Methodology

- Desk research
- Users – 500+ survey, focus groups, interviews
- Councillors & council officers – 200+, focus groups, interviews
- Site administrators - interviews

Scale of London ecosystem

- Citizen-led sites - >160
- Twitter - >180 neighbourhood-based
- Resident Associations / Friends of groups – 1,320 (est.)
- Commercial local sites

User scale

3,500 / 17,000 members 15,000 members 400 visitors a day 2,500 a day New Groups

Only 13% involved in formal local decision making bodies

Local websites – the menu

- Built and green environment: streets, litter and recycling
- Transport and travel
- Local services, facilities and shops
- Monitoring & campaigning
- Homes and houses
- Exchange, lost and found
- Looking after children
- Governance and politics
- Disturbances and irregularities
- Entertainment and recreation
- Local news & information, local people and local history
- Wider world politics and current affairs
- Homespun philosophy

Local Discussion Site

Placeblog Study focus

- Social capital and cohesion
- Empowerment, civic involvement and co-production
- Relations with councils
- Implications for councils.

Neighbourly relations

Figure 1: Neighbourly Relations change as a direct consequence of using local website

- More likely to see someone in the neighbourhood
- More likely to see someone in the network
- Neighbours more likely to exchange

Legend:

- BC
- RDF
- HOL
- All ‘yes, there’s the occasional idiot, but they are normally shot down by the majority.’

Pulling Together

Information sharing

- People are helpful if someone asks for advice 92%

- Feel much more informed about neighbourhood 95% Social impacts

- Neighbourly relations

- Collective efficacy

- Information sharing

- Belonging and attachment

- Social Inclusion and diversity

Feelings of Influence

As a result of using the local website:

a little or much more able to influence decisions in area 68% Influence

As a direct result of using their local website over the past 12 months:

• up to 54% of users had been in touch with their councillor • up to 42% with a council officer • up to 50% with their MP

Civic participation

As a direct result of using their local website over the past 12 months:

• up to 54% of users had been in touch with their councillor • up to 42% with a council officer • up to 50% with their MP

Attitudes to officials

East Dulwich councillor - can we help?

Posted by James Barber 02 September, 2009 10:05

Hi,

My name is James Barber and I am one of the three East Dulwich ward councillors. My two colleagues are Cllrs Rosie Shimell and Jonathan Mitchell. We’re Liberal Democrats and part of Southwark Liberal Democrats.

If you have any issues or concerns related to East Dulwich or Southwark Council then please let me or one of my colleagues know. I guarantee we will listen and answer all ideas and issues raised and hopefully help you solve them. Normally I will look in two or three times a week to see any new postings. Alternatively you can email me directly on james.barber@southwark.gov.uk.

I look forward to hearing from you, James Barber Informing

Listening & understanding

Figure 1: How are local sites perceived by members and officers?

Figure 2: Reasons to participate on neighbourhood websites (officers and members combined)

- Sharing council news and information
- As a route for delivery of online services
- As cost-efficient complement to customer services
- Identifying issues of concern for residents
- To get feedback from residents
- As open communication channel with residents
- Dealing with complaints and incoming information
- Generating and sharing local problems
- Generating & co-ordinating export for residents

Very important | Somewhat important

Informing

Listening & understanding Co-production

Aims • Improve quality of life • Reduce burden of care • Support personalisation • Digital inclusion

Through • Online stimulated • Online & offline informal neighbour care

Neighbourhoods Connect

Delivering Services?

Civic impacts & implications • Feelings of Influence • Civic participation • Improved relations with public officials • Informing & understanding • Support for co-production • Channel for service delivery • Support for behaviour change Successful Engagement with Children & Young People

David Jones DSJ Solutions

General points on consultation

Young Scot Dialogue Youth Key messages

Points to consider........ • Reputation, Credibility and Image • What you are consulting about makes sense to young people • Access all areas – inclusion – seldom heard • Deliver on promises • Understand how young people communicate • Dignity, Respect and Integrity

Provide young people, aged 11 - 26, with a mixture of information, ideas and opportunities to help them get the most of their lives. Dialogue Youth is a partnership between Young Scot, COSLA, Scottish Executive, Local Authorities, their community planning partners and young people.

A national strategy delivered through local action. A nation of informed young people Increased opportunities for young people to access and influence relevant services Increased participation levels in projects, activities and decision-making processes Young people as capacity builders and activists A step change in the public, media perception and image of young people

Impact 4: Capacity builders and activists Access All Areas All In Inclusions Audits Consulting young people..

- Building social capital
- Transforming services
- Democratic engagement

Key Messages

Aim high, young people deserve it! Political and senior official commitment is crucial Genuine involvement - think differently Sustain the excitement, motivation Develop the brand and ownership TRUST the young people involved